E3:23. It's murder, I tell ya! Murder!

Murder, murder, murder . . . .

Murder, murder, murder . . . .

Remember how Sherlock Holmes inspired the creation of entire generations of detectives? Detectives that were written about in books like Murder Ink? The one thing that so many of those detectives took from Holmes was that they needed to solve murders. Not just fascinating crimes of all types, but only that most sensational and capital of crimes . . . murrrr-derrrrrrrr.

Only one of the cool things about Sherlock Holmes was that he solved mysteries of all sorts. Not just those involving dead bodies. So it was a little disappointing when this week's Elementary started with the police station wrap-up of what sounded like an interesting crime . . . a great scheme involving a Raggedy Ann flash mob . . . that might have made a good robbery, something else cool and classy, but no, it's a murder. And after that murder is wrapped up in a minute or two, we're treated to a bit in beehive country that results in a dead body lying among the hives. Murrrrr-derrrrr.

And an excuse to get Mr. Elementary hanging out with bees, haranguing Monsanto's stand-in corporation for causing bee colony collapse, and wander through this week's multi-stage murder investigation.

Meanwhile, we're left wondering about Captain Gregson being promoted out of his current job due to all the success Mr. Elementary and Joan have brought him. Of course, his promotion brings the possibility that a wiser replacement might not feel the need to constantly have all these unofficial consultants under foot. Since the showrunners don't seem to want to come back to that subplot, I have a feeling it's their setup for next week's season finale and the necessary cliffhanger there. So it's back to murrrrr-derrrrr.

Maybe it's just me, but Mr. Elementary and Joan even seem a little bored by it all as they wander around talking to bee-related folk. One of them seems a bit testy . . . I'm guessing she's the murderer . . . or possibly her man-person.

"You keep checking your watch . . . " Mr. Elementary says to Joan. Yeah, I bet.

It's no wonder Sherlock Holmes saved bees for his retirement, when he didn't seem to need the mental stimulation quite so badly. Mr. Elementary and Joan don't seem all that stimulated by this bee business, despite its environmental crisis aspects.

But eventually, we get back to Captain Gregson's possible promotion, which seems to just be an excuse for him to get time alone with Joan. They seem almost romantic in their discussion of his possible departure:

"You know, I know a thing or two about big career changes, maybe I can help." (Yes, Gregson, you should leave the police force and become sober companion to a person with a magical income stream. That's what Joan knows about big career changes.)

"I love what we do . . ." (He covers by adding a bunch of stuff about whatever it is the rest of the people on the show do as well, whatever that is, but that's sure not what it seemed the way he said that to Joan.)

"Whatever decision you make, I have no doubt, it will be the right one." (Sure, Joan, because you thought "sober companion" to one guy was more useful to the world than just another surgeon for everybody else. Your judgment isn't questionable.)

But, back to the bee mystery, that cranky woman and her man-guy are hauled in to that shabby interrogation room they always use to be identified as the killers. You know the old saying, "If a man is serious and ambitious about his work, he's 'assertive.' If a woman is serious and ambitious, she's a 'murderer.'" Or a kidnapper, as . . . ooooo, hot Polaroids of Miss Cranky. The layers of sexism in this show just keep on coming.

She's a murderer AND she likes to have sex! Lock her up!

And, of course, Gregson is passing up his promotion because he loves working with Joan Watson. (Yeah, he says he loves his job, but after that scene earlier . . .)  But this can't be over so close to finale time -- there's suddenly something suspicious about the reasons he was offered the job to begin with. Something funny is going on here. And there's also the preview for next week's finale. Hey, look! Heroin is back! Mr. Elementary's supposed drug addiction is always a season-end topic to tease. Oh, no, he's going back on the horse! False alarm, he was just trapping Moriarty or hanging out with Kitty!

Same old, same old for Elementary. It's macaroni and cheese television, but I suppose macaroni and cheese exists for a reason.